Former full time Federal & State Gov. Forensic Document Analyst: US Treasury Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (western regional forensic science crime laboratory); and, The California State Department of Justice, Bureau of Forensic Services

Jim Blanco has been in the business of examining and reporting on questioned documents for 28 years. Jim has rendered in excess of 8,000 opinions domestically and abroad.

As an Examiner for the Federal Government, Jim's travels were extensive testifying as an Expert Witness in U.S. Courts around the United States and working cases for U.S. Territories and Protectorates.

As a forensic document analyst, Jim has traveled to Guam, Singapore, South Africa, Mexico, and many States in the U.S.A. to testify in both CIVIL and CRIMINAL cases.

Please call for CURRICULUM VITAE.

Forensic Document Services

Possible Forensic Document Examinations / Applications:

Forged, counterfeited and altered documents

Confirming authentic signatures/writings

Wills; Deeds; Legal Contracts

Substituted Pages

Identifying printing processes used to create certain documents

Anonymous writings

Insurance Records

Typewritten and Computer Printed Documents

Photocopied Documents (establishing chronology of series)

Latent impressions on documents

Court Decisions, Endorsements

December 15th, 2018
Santa Rosa, CA
"Thanks so much for your help. We finished argument yesterday, and the jury returned with a verdict in our favor across the board...In speaking with the jury, your testimony was very well received and impactful. Thank you very much from both my client and myself."
Peter L. Simon, Esq.

November 6th, 2018
Sonoma County Superior Court, Santa Rosa, CA
"You were great and will be our document expert for the future. We obtained a complete victory today. I can't thank you enough for stepping in so late in the game. Big big help. Thanks."
Patrick K. O'Brien, Esq. Petaluma, CA

September 29th, 2018
San Jose Superior Court, Sohal v. Dhillon
"I wanted to let you know that we got the verdict and it was in our favor, and wanted to thank you for all your help...the client was very happy with the outcome."
Heather Gibson, Esq. San Jose

March 13th, 2018
Orange County Superior Court, Estate of Casacchia
"Jim-We settled the case. Thank you very much for all your hard work. It was pivotal."
Jeffrey A Coleman, Esq. Newport Beach

February 16th, 2018
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF KANSAS In the Matter of the Estate of EARL O. FIELD.
In upholding the lower court's decision, the Kansas Appellate court noted that,
"Blanco found 10 material differences between Field's known signatures and the signature on the purported codicil, which were "very compelling" evidence that the signature on the purported codicil was not Field's. Blanco eliminated Field as the writer of the signature on the purported codicil." (pages 16-17 of decision)...
"Based on all the evidence of record, we find clear and convincing evidence supporting the district court's conclusion that Oborny, or someone other than Field, at Oborny's behest, signed the purported codicil instead of Field. The 2010 will and not the purported codicil is thus the last valid testamentary instrument made by Earl Field" (page 31 of decision).

January 8, 2018
Los Angeles County
Regarding a questioned Trustee signature on a Quitclaim Deed-
"Please accept my profound gratitude for your expertise, time, dedication, and thorough forensic examination of the documents for my legal matter; I am infinitely grateful to you and can only say the high standard of your service has left me profoundly impressed."
Arax Avanessian

October 26, 2017
Superior Court trial, Ventura County courthouse
"I wanted to thank you again for your assistance yesterday in the trial between 678 Kirk, LLC and Mr. and Mrs. Hirsch. My clients and I were very pleased with your services. I felt you were a very persuasive witness, and your testimony was very helpful for us. I will definitely call you if I ever need a questioned documents expert again, and will recommend you to anyone who is looking for a questioned documents expert. We were successful in obtaining a judgment against Mr. and Mrs. Hirsch, and are very pleased with the outcome."
Greg W. Jones, Esq. Hathaway, Perrett, Webster, Powers, Chrisman & Gutierrez

November 9, 2016
Superior Court trial, Los Angeles main courthouse (Stanley Mosk)
Re: Yunhee Min vs. Chris Sung Hoon Min et al. (LA Case No. BC584100)
"We won! Thank you so much.The Judge found the two deeds in question to be forged based upon expert testimony by you... My client loved you and I'd love to work with you again."
Michael Bennett, Esq.

October 3, 2016
Little Rock. Original action before the Supreme Court of Arkansas.
"It has been an absolute pleasure to work with you. Your willingness to jump into and undertake a case of this magnitude on such short notice is deeply appreciated. Your responsiveness was outstanding. I can't say enough about how much I appreciated the experience of working with you."
Todd Wooten, DOVER DIXON HORNE PLLC

June 1, 2016
District Court, Ellis County, Kansas-the Estate of Earl O. Field, deceased.
Case involving a forged Codicil dated January 22, 2013 which changed the terms of the 2010 Will which gave the bulk of the estate to Fort Hays State University Foundation (FHSU), but now the 2013 purported Codicil instead gave the bulk of the estate to the decedent's part time bookkeeper.

Experts for FHSU Foundation were James Blanco and Jimmy Smith.
After a two week trial, the Court ruled in its Journal Entry Of Judgment Filed June 1, 2016 :
"The Court also must agree with the experts who concluded that not only did Earl not sign these letters/codicils, but they were not typed by him. That these documents were not typed on Earl's typewriter and the structure, punctuation, date placement, and other differences pointed out by the experts, lead this court to believe that Earl did not prepare these documents and that his signatures thereon are not genuine."

November 17, 2015, Van Nuys, CA
"Jim- good news! We won- verdict for defendant. Thank you for your help in this case."
Jeffrey Nodd, Esq.

July 27, 2015, Claremont, CA
"I also want to sincerely thank you for your good work. I am certain that the case would not have settled but for your assistance and analysis."
D. Scott Mohney, Esq.

June 29, 2015, Superior Court, Ventura, CA
"As you could likely tell, the hearing went great for us... The Judge did not even ask for additional argument once we rested our case after finishing with your exam. He found the handwriting on the agreement to be Plaintiff's and granted our underlying motion to compel arbitration right there. ...Clearly we are very pleased with the way the hearing turned out. You were excellent and the Judge specifically mentioned that the 'expert was very helpful' in making his decision. Thank you very much for your excellent services."
Connor J. Stinson, Esq.

March 10, 2015
Petitioners claimed they had 50 percent interest in a residence owned by their late father arguing that their signatures were forged on the transfer deed by respondent.

Respondent contended that the signatures on the deed were not forged but were genuine as determined by forensic document expert Jim Blanco.
Petitioners finally admitted at trial that their signatures were genuine.The court granted respondant's motion for judgment.
L.A. Superior Central BP138678.

January 26, 2015
"The client was very pleased with the quality, skill, and depth of knowledge that were apparent in the opinions you rendered. It was a pleasure working with you."
Aaron M. White, Esq., STERN & GOLDBERG Re: Esther Hasson Revocable Living Trust; LASC Case No. BP134478.

December 31, 2014
"Carrie refused to admit that the signature on Ex. N was hers until confronted with a report from a handwriting expert."
Tentative Decision of Court Re: The Teasdale Family Trust; Marin County Case No.: PR 1205180
"we obviously are very pleased and want to express our thanks, on behalf of [the client], for your jobs very well done."
Seth M. Skootsky, Esq., Skootsky & Der LLP San Francisco

August 2014
"Thank you for your incisive and professional testimony at trial. In the judge's Statement of Decision, it is clear that your expert testimony weighed heavily and was crucial in reaching a favorable ruling. On behalf of my clients, and on my own behalf, I extend to you our most hearfelt thanks."
Robert L. Risley Esq., Pasadena CA
Re: The Estate of Alexander White, III LASC Case No. BP 143708

November 5, 2013
"The judge ruled from the bench in our favor. She said your testimony was 'compelling.' Exactly right. Thanks for your help."
Tom Brigham, Esq.
Re: Estate of John Estes Jr.; County of Mendocino Case No. SCUK CVG 13-26029

May 29, 2013California Court of Appeal reversal of a lower court's erroneous decision to admit for probate the bogus Will of Taruk Ben Ali.
"The dramatic suicide of a Berkeley man last week led police to a second gruesome discovery two days later, a badly decomposed male corpse walled up inside the first floor laundry room."The Berkeley Daily Planet.

Excerpts from Court Of Appeal decision: "Before taking his own life, Hassan had hidden his son's body [Taruk] behind a wall, perpetrated a callous fraud on Taruk's mother, spouse, and friends about Taruk's fate, and had impersonated Taruk and forged his name to multiple documents" (Page 12 of decision).
"Among Hassan's possessions, police found a purported will of Taruk" (Page 3 of decision).
"Appellants' forensic document expert, James Blanco, opined it was 'highly probable' the signatures of Taruk and Wilburn on the will were not genuine" (Page 5 of decision).
"Taruk's signature on the will-the only real evidence of Taruk's intent to make a will-was primarily authenticated by the proponents' document examiner [David S. Moore] who was not told about or shown any of the known documents on which Hassan had forged Taruk's signature" (Page 13 of decision).
"The [lower court's] judgment is reversed and the matter is remanded to the probate court for the entry of a new judgment upholding appellants' contest of the will based on insufficient evidence of due execution, denying admission of the will to probate, and providing for the administration of the estate in a manner consistent with those determinations" (Page 14 of decision).

April 22, 2013 Ruling of the Honorable Mark S. Borrell"Jody testified that Delbert signed the checks. However, expert testimony from a questioned document examiner, James Blanco, persuasively demonstrated that the signatures were not genuine."
(Ventura Case No.: 56-2011-00394805-PR-TR-OXN)

March 13, 2013 Ruling of the Honorable David B. Flinn:"There can be no legitimate dispute that the expert employed by counsel for Rick, James Blanco, had far greater qualifications than [the] opposing expert."
"Mr. Blanco has not only received extensive training, including from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in hands on teaching sessions in Quantico, Virginia, but is regularly tested to determine his proficiency."
"In evaluating the weight to be given to the reasons of each of the experts, two things stand out. Firstly, the work of Mr. Blanco was done in the normal fashion and with considerable care and caution"..."Mr. Blanco provided a detailed and meaningful response, backed by authorities"
"In summary the Court concludes that the expert witness evidence establishes that the signature upon the trust amendment is genuine." (which was Blanco's opinion)
In re: THE TRUST OF MABELLE SILVA SCARANO, DECEASED. (No. P12-00905). Contra Costa Superior Court.

October 13, 2010Statement Of Decision Re: William E. Preston (Billy Preston)- (pdf file)
UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT Central District Of California
..."the court was particularly impressed by Mr. Blanco's excruciatingly careful analysis as discussed at length in his May 1, 2008 report [trustees exhibit "A"]."
(Page 6 Line 10 of decision)
Theodor C. Albert, United States Bankruptcy Judge

August 27th, 2010
Los Angeles Superior Court, CA (111 N. Hill Street)"You are very professional and great to work with.
We are very proud to have you as our witness."
J. Grant Kennedy, Esq.
Re: Coliseo Housing Partnership v. POZ Village Development, Inc.

Sept. 17, 2008LA Superior Court Decision (pdf file)
Case regarding a forged Operating Agreement of an LLC-"The Court concludes that Mr. Blanco was much more persuasive in his testimony than was Mr. Rile" (page 9 of decision).
Opposing Examiner was Howard Rile, of Rile and Hicks.

Sepember 2008Letter from Beverly Hills attorney
Re: Brown v. Johnson- LASC Case No.BC 374660
"Judge William McLaughlin found your expert testimony persuasive, and ruled that
the Individual Grant Deed by which [the Decedents name] purports to grant his interest to
[suspects names] as joint tenants, by deed dated April 26, 2006, recorded the following day as instrument number 06-0930384 was forged. That deed, and
the subsequent deed by which [suspect] transferred her alleged interest to herself as a tenant in common both are to be canceled.
We appreciate your efforts and look forward to working with you again."

June 2007Jury verdict in the Juan Lopez murder trial- Lopez found Guilty.
NO. VCF 110417 Jury Trial People v. Juan Abelardo Lopez, Defendant.
Juan Lopez left a threatening note, then murdered his wife. Blanco testified that Juan Lopez was the writer of the threatening note, but opposing expert Frank Hicks testified that "I'm unable to form any opinion concerning whether or not Mr. Lopez prepared the writing on this note" promoting the bizarre theory that more than one person wrote the single page threatening note.
As summarized in The Porterville Recorder Byline: Aaron Burgin Jun. 21 2007 -VISALIA -
"Juan Abelardo Lopez hit his wife over the head with a wine bottle and strangled her to death in a Lindsay motel room nearly 17 years ago, a jury determined Wednesday afternoon in a Tulare County courtroom. The jury's first-degree murder conviction ends what had been a 17-year search for the killer of Juana Lopez"...
"The murder of Juana Lopez... is one of the oldest cold cases to ever be revived in Tulare County" Deputy District Attorney Ruth McKee said.

September 6th, 2005 Decision of the Montana Supreme Court upholding the Jury's Verdict:
(pdf file)
Case regarding many threatening anonymous letters sent to a school, church, law enforcement
personnel and letters sent to many citizens:"The letters were vicious and lascivious, gory and disturbed, and twisted and disgusting.
Some of the letters contained adult pornography and sexually explicit and threatening
messages reminiscent of horror films" (from page 4 of the decision).
Blanco was the expert witness for the State and gave extensive testimony before the jury
identifying the defendant as the writer of the letters:
The jury found the defendant "guilty of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence in
violation of § 45-7-207, MCA (1995), and threats and other improper influence in official
and political matters in violation of § 45-7-102(1)(a)(ii), MCA (1999)."
The opposing examiner was Lloyd Cunningham, who was unable to identify the handwriting as that of the defendant.

October 19, 2004
Court Decision in probate matter concerning a forged Trust in an attempt to change the CalPERS Beneficiary Designation-
"The signatures which appear on the document are not those of the decedent. The purported trust is therefore invalid and the attempt to substitute Son for Wife as decedent's designated beneficiary of his CalPERS retirement account is a nullity.
This factual finding is based primarily on the testimony of Jim Blanco, a qualified questioned document examiner...The opinion of Mr. Blanco, alone, was sufficient to establish that the questioned signatures of decedent were not valid."

Endorsement of Mr. Blanco's Book, Business Fraud; Know It & Prevent It
"A fascinating and entertaining survey of the methods used by forgers, electronic bandits, and scam artists of every kind, the expert countermoves used to detect their crimes, and a vital step-by-step survival guide for businesses and individual consumers who want to avoid rip-offs." Bill Lockyer-- Former Attorney General, State of California